The SHBN Hosts Parliamentary Roundtable on the Safer Handling of Hazardous Medicinal Products
On Thursday 3 September, the Safer Healthcare and Biosafety Network hosted the first parliamentary roundtable on occupational exposure to hazardous medicinal products, bringing together Members of Parliament, clinical experts, campaign partners and industry representatives for a structured debate on the issue. The roundtable marks a significant step in translating the campaign’s evidence base into political engagement and reflects growing cross-party recognition that HMP safety requires dedicated attention.
Dr Paul Roberts, Chairman of the SHBN, and Luke Akehurst MP delivered the welcoming remarks, followed by expert addresses and facilitated debate across three themes drawn from the campaign’s clinician-led position paper. The discussion opened with a talk on the scale of HMP exposure and its health consequences, followed by a talk and facilitated debate on the inconsistency of current protections across NHS Trusts and the case for a national framework. The session closed with a live demonstration in which simulated HMP contamination was applied across a handling pathway from preparation, administration and disposal before attendees, including Members of Parliament. A UV torch was then used to reveal where the product had spread across hands and surfaces.
Our sincere thanks to Luke Akehurst MP for sponsoring the event, and to Gagan Mohindra MP, Ben Maguire MP and Shivani Raja MP for their engagement on this issue. We would also like to thank all who attended and helped make the roundtable possible. We are especially grateful to those who spoke and facilitated the discussion, and to the House of Commons team for their fantastic service and dedication in ensuring the event ran smoothly.
The discussions will feed directly into the campaign’s policy recommendations ahead of the first UK National HMP Safety Conference on Friday 6 November 2026 at the Royal College of Physicians, London.
For the SHBN, Thursday’s roundtable is a significant milestone, but our attention remains focused on the future. Our campaign will press ahead on all fronts, building the evidence base, advancing the case for change that formally defines HMPs and sets enforceable safety standards, and working to close the gaps in training, monitoring and infrastructure that leave too many healthcare workers inadequately protected.
Reducing preventable harm to the people who deliver care must be central to a safe and sustainable health system. Bringing this issue to Parliament and into open, cross-sector discussion is critical to making that case. We are proud of this progress and the collective effort behind it, whilst recognising that much more must still be done to secure lasting change.
